Discussion

Cous cous with pine nuts and dried cranberries?

Went to one of those rubber chicken lunches. While the chicken was as predicted, the side of cous cous was fabulous. It had dried cranberries and pine nuts in it. I've been trying to find a recipe by using the words "cous cous, pine nuts and cranberries" to little success. It seems like it should be very easy to make. Anyone have any ideas? Thanks.

Toast the pine nuts, but don't let them get too dark. Cook the couscous using the broth and the pinch of salt according to the instructions on the pack. Put the couscous in a bowl and add the lemon juice and oil. Stir well to get it all mixed in and coated. Add the cranberries, mint, and pinenuts - stir well to mix it all together and then serve immediately. ... ... credit > Trundling Grunt.

I do variations on that type of recipe all the time, but never with written instructions. The above recipe should certainly work well. The off-the-cuff way I do it is to make the couscous according to package directions using reduced sodium chicken broth and no oil. I also dump some random seasonings into the pot depending on how I feel at the moment. Garlic powder and a pinch of cayenne are my usual suspects. I would drop in the cranberries at the beginning to they have a chance to plump but toast the pignolis and stir them in at the end to they stay crunchy. Golden raisins instead of or in addition to the cranberries are nice, too.

This is also delicious with Israeli (pearl) couscous. I actually like this even more than regular couscous and I often serve it exactly this way. Toast up the couscous in the pan until it turns a deeper golden color. Then cook in broth until broth is soaked up, add in goodies -- toasted nuts, dried fruit, some fresh herbs, and a squeeze of lemon juice. YUM.